Countryside Seeds Ltd

There are over 10,000 species of grass in the world. Naturally we can’t list them all here, so we’ve concentrated on a selection of key productive species, which you can find detailed here. Of course, if you
need more grass advice specific to your needs and situation, get in touch.

ESTABLISH & DEVELOP OVERSEEDING RESEEDING MANAGING

SEEDING STEPS

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

GRASS SEED QUALITY IMPORTANT FACTS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING SEED

WEEDS IDENTIFICATION

DISEASES & PESTS IDENTIFICATION

Festuloliums prove their worth in UK drought
In the summer drought Festuloliums remain green and healthy

Grassland is suffering badly in the summer drought, leaving many livestock producers without forage – but festuloliums are proving their worth by remaining green and healthy.

The grasses – a cross between drought-tolerant fescues and high-quality ryegrass – were originally bred for the south European climate, but have become increasingly popular in the UK, where DLF is pioneering a UK range.

“I was walking around our Didbrook trial site recently and every festulolium plot stood out,” says Tim Kerridge, managing director at DLF. “You could spot them a mile away.” However, one plot that really impressed was from an old overseeding trial which was abandoned after the trial finished. “It was sown with predominantly perennial ryegrass in 2004, and then overseeded each year with a festulolium,” explains Mr Kerridge.

The trial ended in 2009, and almost every other plot – from clover to ryegrass - has since been invaded by broadleaved and grass weeds. “But the festulolium plot is almost 100% festulolium, and the remarkable thing is that it was still green, when everything else around it was dead.”


Farmers should consider including festuloliums in their grass mixtures, to benefit from their deep rooting abilities, drought and stress tolerance, disease resistance and persistence, he adds. “Perseus, which is new to the AHDB Recommended List this year has very high yields and forage quality but is far more persistent than Italian ryegrass alone. It is also the only variety on the RL with the top score of 9 for Crown Rust, which is a very important disease in UK grassland.”

A new variety, which is working its way through the trials and is already approved in the EU, is Hipast – a fescue type which is high quality, dense and very persistent making it suitable for longer term leys. “In the past, most festuloliums of this type were best suited for cutting – this is the first true multi-purpose variety that is equally suited to long term grazing ” says Mr Kerridge. “It has big implications for replacing PRG on a host of different soils and sites.”

The Didbrook trial site undertakes official trials for AHDB, as well as in-house breeding programmes and commercial trials. With a total of 7,000 different plots, it offers comprehensive testing, measuring yields, dry matter, and quality characteristics. “There are a number of different festulolium types reflecting tall fescue, meadow fescue, Italian ryegrass or PRG genetics,” explains breeding station manager Tony Strickland.

“We’re introducing different genes to get the best of both worlds, with very vigorous growth, extensive rooting, high quality and yields. Festuloliums are very popular across the country – so aren’t just suited to droughty sites – and there are some very exciting developments in the pipeline.”

Livestock farmers are encouraged to take advantage of genetic progress in grass varieties and use the latest mixtures in order to benefit from improved yields and feed value.

Limagrain UK’s grass seed manager Ian Misselbrook also adds that improving reseeding programmes and considering other forages will better prepare them for fluctuating weather patterns.

“The cold, wet spring in 2018 delayed turnout and grass growth,” he says. “Many livestock producers ran out of forages and were desperately hoping for a good grass growing season to replenish supplies. This didn’t materialise, then the dry, hot summer meant that they were dipping in to ‘new’ silage, putting pressure on the forthcoming winter.”

While we don’t know if conditions in 2019 will be a repeat of 2018, or wet like 2017, farmers should be better prepared and look to build up more of a buffer – or insurance – in forage stocks.

“A better reseeding programme and growing more productive grass with a high proportion of tetraploid varieties is an obvious route,” adds Mr Misselbrook. “And while there’s no strict rule, a well-run dairy unit that relies on home grown forage to support a grazing or housed herd will look to reseed – or rejuvenate – 20% of the grassland each year.”



A significant increased in the productivity of new reseeds compared with older leys means that reseeding costs can be easily justified.

“It will pay for itself in two or three years. A new ley will be around 30% more productive in its first full year then a six-year-old ley. A 10-year-old ley typically only yields 50% of a new ley.



Farmers can also use new advanced grass seed mixtures. Dry matter yields of these mixtures are 10% higher than the mixtures of 10 years ago and huge strides in nutritional quality in grass varieties are now being made,” he says.

There’s a lot to be gained from growing these advanced seed mixtures; mixtures that Limagrain adds its LGAN accreditation to and that have proven superior agronomic and feed value characteristics.

Livestock producers should also consider other forages that can help in managing dry conditions. Lucerne has deep roots and drought-resistant qualities and has proved to be successful during prolonged hot conditions in summer 2018 when grass mixtures showed little growth. Lucerne survives and grows in drier conditions, but it can withstand wet weather providing the soil is free draining.



A lucerne crop will typically give four years’ continuous production of high protein, high mineral forage with a dry matter content around 30% and digestibility of 70. With a lower cell wall content than grass, lucerne is highly digestible and intakes tend to be high. New varieties like Mezzo are more winter hardy than the older varieties, adding to the crop’s attractiveness in harsher UK conditions.

Fine-tuning the grazing system can boost forage supplies too. “It might be worth closing off a field or two and taking a silage cut, even in mainly grazing systems, to give that extra ‘buffer’ that will provide a cushion through poorer growing periods.”

Downloads

• LGAN Grass Mixtures 2015
• Mezzo Lucerne 2018

RyderCup 2018 - Played on the strongest grass: Barenbrug RPR

Looking for a grass option for after maize then Barenbrug's 'After Maize' grass mix may be just for you.



AFTER MAIZE
Fast grass

• Ideal for delivering a high-quality grass crop after Maize harvest, AFTER MAIZE, provides a very quick establishment and rapid growth even at cool temperatures.
• AFTER MAIZE grass seed mixture gives full flexibility in the duration of the ley, with 12, 18 or 24-month production potential
• AFTER MAIZE could also be established after a spring cereal harvest

Later production = winter grazing option

Thanks to its ability to germinate at lower temperatures than conventional leys meaning it can be sown safely throughout October After Maize has been developed using the concept of ‘germination energy’.

This concept means it will establish faster and better than other leys, even in the adverse conditions, of cold, wet seed beds which appear later in the year.

20% faster establishing than the average ryegrass

By measuring the germination rate under low temperatures of 7-10°C, similar to those found in the field throughout October and selecting those which give the best germination in the shortest time, the result is an establishment rate of over 20 percent above the average ryegrass. After Maize is a very flexible product that can fit into different regimes as required.

It is equally at home being used as an early spring cut before being ploughed out for a spring-sown crop or used as a sacrifice field for early spring grazing as a more cost-effective alternative to rye.

Composition
Species
50% Italian Ryegrass
35% Hybrid
15% Intermediate perennial ryegrass

Sowing rate/acre
12 - 15kg/acre

Packed in 25kg bags


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Uplift in farmers buying grass seed this autumn
Barenbrug reports increase in forage grass sales

Uplift in farmers buying grass seed this autumn


With temperatures across the UK forecast to remain slightly higher than average for the remainder of September and into early October, many farmers are taking advantage of warmer soil conditions and seizing the opportunity to reseed or overseed older leys. In the last month, the agricultural team at Barenbrug - one of the UK’s leading producers of forage grass - has seen a significant uplift in sales with much of the country sowing 30% more seed than normal. As well as short term leys, which are being heavily used to help fill the forage gap, Barenbrug has seen a massive upsurge in upland / hill ground reseeding. In Scotland, upland mixture sales are more than 50% up on last year. While in England and Wales, sales are around 40% higher than normal.



The news comes as Barenbrug launches the second edition of its Good Grass Guide - a free-of-charge booklet packed with practical pointers about gauging grass quality and repairing and renovating fields.



Mhairi Dawson, Research & Development Manager at Barenbrug UK said: “It’s been a really difficult grass-growing year for many UK farmers - with the weather literally throwing everything at us. After a very long hard winter, many farmers needed several good cuts this summer to replenish dwindling forage reserves. Unfortunately, because of the hot dry weather, that didn’t happen. With the weather now back to normal, but slightly warmer than average, many farmers are opting to invest in new grass. Favourable conditions are enabling farmers to make ground improvements plus an early maize harvest has opened up opportunities for extra autumn reseeds. The grass varieties currently proving most popular are specialist mixtures that germinate well into October and give farmers total flexibility with 12, 18 or 24-month production potential - including extra grazing opportunities over winter.”



While Barenbrug’s figures don't show if farmers are planning to reseed or overseed with the mixtures they are buying, there are compelling arguments for both options - as set out in the company’s Good Grass Guide, which has been described as an essential tool by many seed merchants.



Explaining more Mhairi said: “Some livestock producers may still be reticent about reseeding given the impact this summer’s weather has had on farm finances. But you can actually make a real impact on grass quality, productivity and utilization by doing very little. A reseeding rate of just 10% is enough to prevent a decline in grass productivity while 15% will start to deliver real gains. Farmers also shouldn't rule out overseeding, which can make a big difference after the kind of summer we’ve just had. Implemented carefully, overseeding can improve pasture productivity by between 30-40% for between three to four years, depending on field quality. When it comes to investing in grass, our message is simple. Doing something is always better than doing nothing and new swards will always be more productive than old ones and better equipped to deal with weather extremes.”



To help farmers get their grassland management back on track this autumn, after one of the hottest, driest, summers on record, Barenbrug has updated its Good Grass Guide - adding more information and hints and tips to the booklet, which farmers can obtain from the Barenbrug website. The second edition of the Good Grass Guide includes information about reseeding versus overseeding; seed selection and managing new swards. There are pages dedicated to soil nutrition and structure; and why investing in grass is important. There are also photographs and facts and figures about productive grass species, common weeds, diseases and pests. At the back of the guide there is also space for farmers to note down observations about individual fields and pastures.

Grass Advice
Managing your grassland

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Autumn Drilling Offers Opportunities to Bridge Forage Gaps
Autumn 2018 offers many dairy farmers more opportunity than usual for late–season establishment of perennial or hybrid ryegrass, with leys drilled in the coming weeks offering the potential to accelerate the re–building of depleted forage stocks.

This was the message from forage experts Germinal at UK Dairy Day, where the company highlighted an early maize harvest and prolonged warm soil temperatures as reasons for planning additional reseeding.

“The hot dry summer has hampered grass growth and caused forage shortages, but it’s also resulted in an accumulation of heat units that we are predicting will bring forage maize maturity forward by two to three weeks in many areas,” said Germinal GB national agricultural sales manager Ben Wixey. “There will therefore be more time this autumn to establish grass after maize, and we also expect soil temperatures to stay warmer for longer, extending the period when grass and clover can be sown successfully.

“Short term Italian ryegrass or Westerwolds are the norm where drilling is possible after maize, but this year the wider window will bring perennials and hybrids – possibly with white clover – into the reckoning. These longer–term ryegrasses will offer better quality forage over a longer period, so may well be a more versatile solution for anyone seeking ways to re–build their forage stocks.”

Germinal’s expectation for an earlier maize harvest is based on data recorded at their own research station in Wiltshire, where average dry matters across a range of varieties in trials have already reached the 30 – 32% DM required to trigger harvest.

“We’ll be harvesting our maize plots during the week of UK Dairy Day, which is a full two weeks ahead of expectations for the varieties we have in trials,” said Germinal GB technical trials manager Dr Jo Matthews. “With the heat unit accumulation that we’ve seen across the country, farmers should now be monitoring their crops closely as maturity is likely to be advanced in a lot of cases.

“We are seeing a lot of variability this year, however, not only across the country but also within fields. Crops on heavier soils have generally fared better during the dry spell, but it’s unwise to make any assumptions and there’s no substitute for getting out into the crop, taking representative samples and checking the dry matter of whole plants.”

Germinal advises that dairy farmers considering autumn drilling of grass leys, whether after maize or otherwise, should ensure they create conditions that will allow good soil–to–seed contact and that there is enough moisture. “It’s more important than ever as we enter a period of shortening day length and cooler temperatures that everything is done to maximise the success of establishment,” concluded Ben Wixey. “The usual checks to ensure soil pH and nutrient indices – and taking steps to alleviate any compaction issues – should not be forgotten.”

DLF explores precision breed-ing in a Danish research project





DLF explores precision breed-ing in a Danish research project

Minor genetic variations control good traits. How do we target them?

Sometimes very few and small variations in plant genetics account for great plant traits. Take for example broccoli. How many consider that the flower head we eat is a result of a dysfunctional flower regulation caused only by 1-2 DNA variations (mutations)? Similarly, how many of us consider that only few genetic variations may account for great differences in forage digestibility?

Some of these mutations are created spontaneously by nature itself. Others can be induced by treating seeds chemically. However, all such mutations are created at random and to identify the positive ones requires equal amount of time and luck. Well, at least until recently. A new technology, defined as “Precision Breeding” uses a bacterial defense system called “CRISPR/Cas9” to induce mutations very precisely. If you already know, which genes control certain important traits, the system can be designed to make just one mutation at these genes.

Over the recent years DLF has gained substantial knowledge on the genetics controlling forage quality. Through intensive screenings, researchers were able to identify mutations in lignin biosynthesis, which had a positive effect on grass digestibility. But there are many more, and as an alternative to keep searching, they will now together with scientists from three other Danish breeding companies and three universities investigate if these mutations can be obtained faster by CRISPR/Cas9-induction. The project is called “ReTraQue” (Resistance-Traits-Quality) and it will implement the technology in wheat, barley, potato, ryegrass, and lucerne. Major targets will be to improve yield in all crops, disease resistance in cereals, and digestibility in ryegrass and lucerne.

The project runs over five years and has a total budget of 5.6 M €. It receives financial support from Innovation Fund Denmark.

Advice today from PGRO on seed quality, farm saved seed and winter bean establishment.

Farm-saving seed
It is clear that the 2018 bean crop is of generally lower quality in terms of visual appearance. Grain size is generally smaller or particularly variable and especially in the south has been more severely affected by Bruchid damage than is previous seasons.

The affect of this on seed quality has also been negative as is being seen in the PGRO seed lab and emphasizes the importance of seed being tested for germination capacity and vigour ahead of sowing for the new season.

Seed testing farm saved seed:

If saving seed on-farm, it is important to test seed for germination capacity and seed-borne pests and diseases. Germination can be affected by physical damage to the seed caused when harvesting over-dry crops, chemical contamination by glyphosate, or insect damage such as bruchid damage.

At low levels of bruchid infestation, germination losses may not be significant in larger seeded varieties, although damaged beans can be more susceptible to moulds. It’s likely that lightly infested seeds have a greater chance of survival, with the size of seed and portion remaining following larval feeding being important determinants of germination capacity. At high levels of seed damage by bruchid, germination is affected, and losses of between 10 and 15% germination have been recorded in lab tests when bruchid damage is between 40% and 80%. There is potential in the field for the damage to cause seeds to decay before germination occurs, and damage close to the point of attachment with the hypocotyl can cause establishment failure. This occurs more frequently when bruchid damage levels are high.

Crops that are harvested at low moisture content, particularly when less than 12%, may incur mechanical damage during harvesting or cleaning. Mechanical damage to seed causes seedling abnormalities and increased infection by soil-borne pathogens such as damping off (Pythium spp.), lowering the germination capacity.

If glyphosate has been used as a desiccant, seedling abnormalities are likely to arise if the seed from the treated crop is used.

Seed-borne pests, diseases and disorders include the following and should be checked before use:

Combining peas
Ascochyta complex (leaf and pod spot);
Marsh spot (caused by manganese deficiency);

Vining peas
Ascochyta complex (leaf and pod spot);
Marsh spot (caused by manganese deficiency);
Electrical conductivity (vigour);

Other tests for peas include seed-borne bacterial and viral diseases

Field beans
Stem and bulb nematode (seed and soil-borne);
Ascochyta fabae;

Germination and vigour tests are available for green beans and other crops.
It’s a good idea to have a thousand seed weight test carried out to help determine seed rate per hectare.

Farm Saved Seed - The Rules
There are several rules that apply to farm-saved seed (FSS) as follows:
Farmers are legally obliged to declare their use of FSS and pay for the use of eligible varieties;

FSS must be produced and saved within a farmer’s own business (i.e. land farmed as the same business), and farmers cannot sell, buy, barter or otherwise transfer FSS outside their own holding;

FSS rules apply whether seed has been processed or taken straight from the barn;

Seed from hybrid varieties may not be farm-saved without the breeders’ permission.

See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farm-saved-seed for further details.


Winter beans
Establishment and seed rates

Growers are advised to drill beans to a minimum depth of 3-5 inches and ensure that the subsoil is not compacted to allow good root penetration. The method of planting can be either by drilling or the more traditional practice of ploughing in seed that has been broadcast onto stubble. In the latter case, there will be a loss of uniformity in spread and more unevenness in plant emergence: higher seed bed losses should be anticipated (20%). Some leveling of the seedbed may be required after ploughing in. Check thousand grain weight and aim for 18 to 28 plants established per m² depending on variety. Work by Wherry & Sons has indicated there may be a varietal yield response to population and recommendations are shown in the table below.

Typical final target plant populations

Type Varieties Population plants/m²
Winter Beans General 18-20
Clipper 22
Wizard, Arthur 23-26
Honey, Sultan 28

Dense crops of winter beans are more likely to suffer from disease and early lodging. 10 to 20% field loss is assumed when planting beans in the autumn. Winter beans should not be sown too early (not before the second week of October) as crops that are too forward are more prone to disease and to the effects of severe winter weather. Sowing from mid-October to early November is usually the optimum time, but acceptable crops have been produced from early December drilling.
Field loss for drilled winter beans is 15% and PGRO has produced a seed rate calculator as part of the Optibean tool (Excel-based spreadsheet) available from the website (http://www.pgro.org/optibean-project/).


Alternatively, seed rate can be calculated using the following formula:

Seed rate (kg/ha) = Thousand seed weight x target population 100
% germination 100 – field loss

Beans don’t require a fine seedbed and will tolerate clody conditions, although weed control may be poor. Over-cultivation should be avoided. Beans are sensitive to soil compaction, which may lead to increased problems with foot rot infection and nutrient uptake. Requirements of beans for fertiliser are small and no N is required.

Where P and K are required, it is essential that it is placed deep enough into the seedbed to allow full use by the crop. Broadcast fertiliser should be ploughed shallow or applied over the furrows. It can then be worked in by subsequent cultivations, avoiding fine tilth and compaction.

Fertiliser requirements of beans can be found in the Fertiliser Manual – https://www.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library?q=rb209.

Winter beans offer a good opportunity to tackle black-grass populations using Crawler or Kerb. However, early drillings followed within 7 days by pre-emergence sprays may not fully benefit from Kerb applications, which work better at lower temperatures (<8°C), perhaps more associated with November and December. Pre-emergence herbicides have a variable but limited time of activity which starts to decrease from the time of application.

Winter beans can be in the ground for a long time before the crop is at an appropriate growth stage for post-emergence bentazone, which is less effective in cool conditions. For this reason, it may be worth considering keeping an eye on drilled crops and weather forecasts and delaying pre-emergence applications for as long as reasonably possible. This may extend the effectiveness of applications. This approach offers a chance to move the period of weed control so it is more valuable, but does require increased attention to crop and weather conditions and is not without risk.


PGRO technical information
All PGRO Technical Updates have been revised to include the changes in pesticide availability for peas and beans. PGRO publications are available as free downloads from the PGRO web site www.pgro.org User passwords are available on request through the web site.

The information in this publication must not be reproduced without the express written permission from the PGRO.
Information disseminated by the Processors & Growers Research Organisation is given after the exercise of all possible care in compilation, preparation and issue, but is provided without liability in its application or use.

CB1806.doc

DLF digs deeper for drought resistance
Drought 2018 was very severe – will tomorrow’s varieties meet the challenges?

Farmers and organic farmers in particular will not easily forget 2018. Drought and heat had devastating impacts on forage crops – and finances. Will we see more of such extreme weather conditions, and how do we secure our production in the future?


Breeders and researchers at DLF are quite concerned about these questions. If any, they need to consider future scenarios when developing new varieties. Three years ago, DLF built a facility called Radimax together with three other breeding companies; Nordic Seed, Sejet Plant Breeding, Danespo, and three Danish universities; Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Aalborg, where plants can be selected for deep rooting.

Crops need deep roots to continue growth if spring is struck by drought as it was the case in 2017 and 2018. In this situation, seedlings with only shallow roots will be set back dramatically as the topsoil dries out. Plants with deep roots, on the contrary, will have access to soil layers saturated with water and will be able to maintain growth. In the facility, plants are subject to a very intense drought gradient and at the same time their root growth is monitored by multispectral imaging through plexiglass tubes installed under each plant row.


So far DLF has tested 50 forage and 50 turf varieties and more than 250 perennial ryegrass breeding lines in RadiMax. These tests have shown great genetic differences that enable us to start developing varieties with deeper roots. In order to expand the usage of RadiMax, the measurements are used in genomic selection, which allows breeders to predict the root potential of any new ryegrass line based on a simple DNA test. Of outmost importance, researchers discovered that turf grass root profiles are almost similar to that of forage grasses, despite the fact that turf grasses are much more compact and was cut at 6 cm height throughout the experiment. This means that below ground genetics have a major say when it comes to root traits and it stimulates the encouraging belief that it will be possible to create genetic improvements in root growth and drought tolerance.

25 % higher yield with Ryegrass PLUS
Did you know that you effectively increases your yield only by choosing varieties from DLF PLUS?

Add 45 % of ryegrass PLUS to your forage mixture and obtain a higher yield and a better supply of homegrown forage for your stock.

This might seem a little unbelievable but it has become a clear fact for many farmers as two mixtures tested in official Danish trials revealed the results.

Ryegrass PLUS
Testing two mixtures, ForageMax 35 and ForageMax 45, gave an increase of 25 % in yield only by adding 45 % Ryegrass PLUS.

Remarkably, the ForageMax 45 mixture yielded 25 % more but it also contained 5 % less ryegrass, which meant more space for red clover and white clover.

ForageMax 35

• 13 % White Clover – SILVESTER
• 27 % Perennial Ryegrass, inter, 2n – ABOSAN 1
• 35 % Perennial Ryegrass , inter, 4n – OVAMBO
• 25 % Perennial Ryegrass. Late, 2n – BOVINI

ForageMax 45

• 7 % White clover – SILVESTER
• 6 % Red clover - CALLISTO
• 5 % Red clover – AMOS
• 45 % Ryegrass PLUS – PERUN
• 37 % Perennial Ryegrass, inter, 2n – ABOSAN 1

60 % in first and second cut is not unusual.
The benefit of ryegrass PLUS is not only an increase in yield but it also starts growing early in the season where it can use the natural moisture in the ground. In practice, we do in fact see that it often yield up to 60 % of the annual yield in the first + second cut.

More milk and more meat with higher digestibility.
Cutting ryegrass PLUS at the right time on spring – just before heading followed by cut for each 25 days with 5-6 cuts a year will give you a very high digestibility with a protein content around 150 gram pr. kg dry matter.

7-8 cm and 10-15 cm are numbers to remember getting the highest persistency.
Several trials and farm visits has given us a huge experience in management. We have learned that you get the highest persistency in a field of ryegrass PLUS, if you cut between 7-8 centimeters – never lower as it might be crucial for your sward. Going for a last large cut in October, you need to remember allowing 10-15 centimeters regrowth before winter will give you a high yielding grass field for years to come and at least for 3-4 years.

Ryegrass PLUS



Ryegrass PLUS is a hybrid ryegrass developed by crossing Meadow Fescue (Festuca pratense) or Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). There are two types of hybrid grasses; Ryegrass PLUS and Tall fescus PLUS and both types belong to the species festulolium.

When crossing multiple species it enables us to combine the best properties from each grass. The fescues contribute qualities such as high dry matter yield, resistance to cold, drought tolerance and persistence, while ryegrass is contributes with rapid establishment, good spring growth, good digestibility, sugar content and palatability. The individual festulolium varieties contain various combinations of these qualities, but all are substantially better yielding than their parent lines.

Ryegrass-PLUS varieties from DLF includes:

• Perun
• Perseus
• Hostyn
• Helus
• Becva
• Lofa
• Paulita
• Achilles

Morphologically, these varieties resemble italian ryegrass but with a persistency of up to four years. This type is suitable for both cutting and grazing.

The object of the DLF Breeding program is to retain the italian ryegrass yield and quality combined with resistance to rust and xanthomonas plus winterhardiness and persistency from the fescue.

In general, ryegrass-plus can be characterized by:

• High seedling vigor
• Very early spring growth
• Very high yield
• Slightly lower energy concentration and sugar content than ryegrass
• Tendency for heading in regrowth
• Upright growth
• Better persistency than their ryegrass parent lines
• Susceptible to winter kill in absence of snow cover